The dogs of Sri Lanka

When we first arrived in Colombo we were exhausted after 28 hours of travelling, including three long, uncomfortable flights. After lunch on the Isle of Man, dinner in Manchester, and breakfast in Dubai, we were overjoyed to have finally reached Sri Lanka. As we didn’t confidently know how to get to our guesthouse,  and we were too tired to be battling with trains / buses / tuk tuks, we treated ourselves to a taxi.

The cost to Unuwatuna from the airport was approximately £30 which was great value for the three hour ride. You do have to pay extra for the toll road, but this was only £1.50. Our driver was lovely and we felt completely safe with him. Looking through the window on our way through Colombo, I was fascinated by the number of stray dog wandering the busy roads. Some were curled up sleeping as the traffic had to swerve round them. The dogs didn’t even budge.

 

Over our five day stay in Unawatuna, we witnessed the dogs sunbathing on the crowded beach throughout the day, curling up under the sun loungers to keep cool. They were still there in the evenings, amongst the restaurants and bars.

I was expecting to feel terribly sorry for them, but they appeared well looked after and their coats seemed in good condition. The locals were more than happy for them to roam wherever they desired and so the dogs were content. I never saw one dog beg for food or bother the tourists, they were happy to keep themselves to themselves.

Though there was one dog who took a shining to me and Matt, who we nicknamed ‘Sweetie.’

 

Sweetie wore a diamante collar so I’m fairly certain she belonged to someone, though she too roamed the streets with the strays. She first appeared on our doorstep on New Year’s Eve and then every evening she would sit and wait for us to come home.

Whenever she saw us she’d wag her tail excitedly and follow us to our patio where we’d spend the late evening winding down before bed. I’ll admit, I grew very fond of Sweetie and as both Matt and I come from ‘doggie’ families, it felt familiar to be sat with a doggie companion at our feet.

When we left Unuwatuna and came to Hikkaduwa, there are more dogs roaming the street, though a lot less than Unawatuna and they tend to avoid the beach. The Hikkaduwa dogs are more feral and it is clear they are flea bitten and uncared for. It is a sad sight and so I try to avoid looking too closely as they pass me in the evenings, where it is cool enough for them to scavenge for food.

 

We are now living with two dogs that belong to the guesthouse owners, ‘Blackie’ a little terror with a passion of howling at 1am to assert his dominance over the other dogs in the village, and a gorgeous little puppy who just wants to sit on your feet and lick your toes.

There to greet you in the morning and at night, these two dogs are the only ones in Hikkaduwa I’d feel confident interacting with – very different from Unawatuna!

I’m interested to see who else we’ll meet on our travels!